Rel=author has been a success, hasn’t it? Not only is it easy to set up, but users have also seen a higher CTR via the SERPs. New findings have been released that suggests Google may be using company photos just like they’ve been using author markup. Some of the examples I share below have used the rel=author tag, while others just have a strong presence on their Google + page.

Let’s examine some of these examples.

Example #1 – Progressive/No rel=publisher

Progressive started showing up in the SERPs along with their company picture. The interesting thing about this example is that they are not using the rel=publisher tag. However, they do have a strong presence on Google +. Sounds like this is what Matt Cutts was talking about when he said that they were getting better at “detecting when someone is sort of an authority in a specific space…”

Lesson learned? Start creating a serious presence on Google +.

Example #2 – PEA/using rel=publisher

This example threw me through a loop, as PEA is not an authority in their niche. They are, however, making full use of the rel=publisher markup as well as beginning to create a presence on Google +.

Lesson learned? Make sure your company is taking advantage of the rel=author markup.

Conclusion

These new findings are rather interesting, but they don’t give us a clear idea of what to expect this summer. Play it safe by creating a strong presence on Google + and using rel=publisher markup. It’s your turn – have you noticed similar activity in the SERPs?

2 thoughts on “Company Photos Are Now Being Shown In The SERPs?”

Google usually doesn’t like bloggers who use celebrity pics, business logos as their profile pics on Google+ as the same appears on serps when they use rel=”author”. They want authors to use their genuine and their face as a profile pic. Google also doesn’t want non-content areas on the site use rel=”author” markup unnecessarily.